WIOA State Plan Common Elements

As stated above, Kansas will use the first two years of this State plan period to define, determine and formalize exactly how and to what extent outside activities will be included in alignment, as guided by the KWSB’s Alignment Committee and KWSB action. Currently, many programs offered across state agencies are provided in partnerships brought about by state statute:

• The Older Kansans Employment Program provides specialized training, career assessment, job matching, and job search assistance to Kansans age 55 and older regardless of their income and facilitates the development of job opportunities for older Kansans in private industry.
• The State Legislature in 2013 placed into law Senate Bill 155 which provides postsecondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) to high school students, allowing some students to graduate with both a high school diploma and a postsecondary credential.
• In 2014, the State Legislature added the AO–K Proviso to this law, extending funding to adults co–enrolled in CTE and Title II–funded Adult Education.
• Workforce AID (Aligned with Industry Demand) provides targeted training to jobseekers based on the specific needs of a specific employer. Workforce AID utilizes local workforce systems to recruit trainees and funds the individual’s postsecondary credential program.

In addition, Kansas has been awarded competitive federal grants which will continue to align services offered through collaboration among multiple entities, such as:

• The Health and Human Services Health Professions Opportunity Grant award will allow the Kansas workforce system to partner with local systems serving low–income participants as they complete postsecondary education and achieve placement in jobs along a career pathway leading to self–sufficiency.
• Workforce Innovation Fund grant to cross–train staff of all WIOA partners, provide funding for on–the–job training for targeted individuals such as those with barriers to employment, and develop a single–entry portal to information about some WIOA services.

Kansas utilizes federal formula funds to align the following activities which, while a part of the combined state plan, are not core activities:

• The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) programs assist workers who have lost their jobs as a result of foreign trade. Benefits from the TAA may include job training, income support, job search and relocation allowances, a tax credit to help pay the costs of health insurance, and a wage supplement to certain reemployed trade–affected workers 50 years of age and older.
• Veterans Services are provided priority in job placement, training activities and placement services. Case management services are provided to qualified veterans and qualified individuals.

Finally, Kansas utilizes federal funds to coordinate and align the following programs:

• The Alternate Workforce Specialist brokers relationships across state agencies to increase engagement with the offender population regarding employment. A specialist identifies market relevant training opportunities for offenders to obtain industry recognized credentials which can assist in the development of meaningful portfolios for job interviews.
• H–1B engineering skills on–the–job training program provides incentives to employers for on–the–job training to support the hiring of new engineers. Individuals eligible for training through this program can be recent graduates not currently employed in the field or other dislocated or unemployed engineers who meet educational prerequisites but lack specific skills. This program runs through June 30, 2016.
• The Second Chance Act provides postsecondary technical skills training to inmates incarcerated at Topeka Correctional Facility. In partnership with Washburn Institute of Technology, inmates work towards postsecondary credentials or college credits. This program runs through May 31, 2016. Fort Scott Community College, Douglas County, Johnson County, and the City of Wichita have also received Second Chance funding through the Department of Justice, Department of Labor, or Department of Education.
• Barton County Community College received funding from the US Department of Education for a Promoting Reentry Success through Continuity of Educational Opportunities (PRSECO) demonstration project to support improvements in and good documentation of its processes for recruiting, advising, and retaining incarcerated students.
• Registered Apprenticeship is a structured system for training employees in a variety of occupations that require a wide range of skills and knowledge. It combines full–time employment, through on–the–job learning, under the supervision of experienced journey level workers, and related technical instruction.
• Early Childhood Associate Apprenticeship Program (ECAAP), a Kansas Registered Apprenticeship Program, is a training model based on the skills and knowledge the early childhood industry needs from its employees. It combines RTI with planned, day–by–day training on the job under the supervision of a skilled worker.
• The Work Opportunity Tax Credit Program (WOTC) encourages the hiring of targeted employees so they move from economic dependency into self–sufficiency as they earn a steady income and become contributing taxpayers. Participating employers receive compensation by reducing their federal income tax liability.
• Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment (REA) assists claimant’s efforts to find new employment. This reemployment service results in shorter claim durations and fewer erroneous payments.
• Foreign Labor Certification allows employers to fill job openings with foreign labor when they are unable to fill positions with qualified US workers.
• The Federal Bonding program provides individual fidelity bonds to employers who hire job applicants who have been, or may be, denied coverage by commercial carriers.